Looking for our Adult and Youth Education classes, programs, and workshops?
Find them under the LEARN tab!
September 2022
Japanese Garden Groundbreaking
Thursday, September 29 • 10:00 - 11:30 am Waterfront Botanical Gardens FREE Join us for the Japanese Garden Groundbreaking Ceremony with special guest, garden designer, Shiro Nakane, visiting from Japan. All are invited to join the celebration. Green tea and cookies will be provided. Learn more about the Japanese garden
Find out more »
SOLD OUT – Garden Highlights Walk & Talk
SOLD OUT Thursday, September 29 • 5:15 - 6:15 p.m. Waterfront Botanical Gardens $10 | $5 WBG members per session As autumn unfolds across the Gardens, enjoy a guided educational tour with a staff horticulturist. Learn about the plants at the Gardens- their performance, strengths, and weaknesses, as well as growing tips and design insights. Dress for the weather as this program is conducted outdoors.
Find out more »October 2022
Japanese Gala
Saturday, October 1 • 6:00 - 9:30 pm Waterfront Botanical Gardens $300 per individual ticket Please join us for the Waterfront Botanical Gardens Japanese Gala, featuring: Koto performer Masayo Ishigure, New York Chef Gene Kato, Chicago Cocktails by Beam Suntory Sponsored by Dean Dorton
Find out more »
First Sunday Fun Day: Creepy Crawlers in the Garden
Sunday, October 2 • 12 - 2 pm Leslie Botanical Classrooms FREE, no reservation required Ready for some free family fun? Children ages 5 - 12 and their grown-ups are invited to join us every first Sunday for nature-based learning and crafts in our beautiful gardens and classrooms. Join us rain or shine; no registration is required.
Find out more »
SOLD OUT – The Buzz About Bourbon
SOLD OUT Tuesday, October 4 • 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. Waterfront Botanical Gardens $30 | $25 WBG & MM Ambassadors Bourbon is nature distilled. Maker’s Mark Distillery is located on over 1,000 acres of land called Star Hill Farm. Come learn about – and taste – the many ways nature plays a role in the creation of bourbon with a member of the Maker’s Mark team. After exploring the pollinator garden, you’ll hear about the newest buzz around the Distillery,…
Find out more »
Garden Storytime Hour
Wednesday, October 5 • 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. Leslie Botanical Classrooms Gather round for storytime! Children ages 3-5 and their grown-up caregivers will love this inaugural early-learning program: Gardens Storytime Hour. Two colorful stories and a nature-inspired activity help young friends build early reading, social-interactive and creative skills. This program is FREE for kids and caregivers, but registration is required. Find us at the Gardens, every other Wednesday from September through November at 10 am--rain or shine! REGISTER HERE
Find out more »
Mindfulness for Mothers
Wednesday, October 5 • 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. Leslie Botanical Classrooms $15 | $10 WBG members For mothers, this class will offer tools to build the mindfulness muscle. Nicole Bartlett, a mother of 3 elementary aged children and a business owner, will offer tools for staying present in the presence of our children, while also making true self-care a priority. This involves getting honest with ourselves, taking responsibility for what we’ve created in this world, and bringing grace to every interaction…
Find out more »
SOLD OUT – Building Confidence with Bird Watching
SOLD OUT Saturday, October 8 • 8:00 - 10:00 a.m. Leslie Botanical Classrooms $15 | $10 WBG members Enjoy the quiet peace of the Gardens and learn the basics of mindful birdwatching with identification, note-taking, and binocular use. Take home a birding guide and sketching notebook to practice your new skills!
Find out more »
Fall Porch Pot Workshop
Tuesday, October 11 • 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. Leslie Botanical Classrooms $52 | $45 WBG members Once the weather starts cooling and the leaves start turning we retreat back into our homes, but that doesn’t mean we can’t keep enjoying what the seasons have to offer us! In this workshop learn how to transition our planters from late summer to fall. We’ll start by learning the elements of botanical design and color theory, then watch a demonstration full of plant…
Find out more »Garden Highlights Walk & Talk
Thursday, October 13 • 5:15 - 6:15 p.m. Waterfront Botanical Gardens $10 | $5 WBG members per session As autumn unfolds across the Gardens, enjoy a guided educational tour with a staff horticulturist. Learn about the plants at the Gardens- their performance, strengths, and weaknesses, as well as growing tips and design insights. Dress for the weather as this program is conducted outdoors. REGISTER HERE
Find out more »Garden Storytime Hour
Wednesday, October 19 • 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. Leslie Botanical Classrooms Gather round for storytime! Children ages 3-5 and their grown-up caregivers will love this inaugural early-learning program: Gardens Storytime Hour. Two colorful stories and a nature-inspired activity help young friends build early reading, social-interactive and creative skills. This program is FREE for kids and caregivers, but registration is required. Find us at the Gardens, every other Wednesday from September through November at 10 am--rain or shine! REGISTER HERE
Find out more »Garden Highlights Walk & Talk
Thursday, October 27 • 5:15 - 6:15 p.m. Waterfront Botanical Gardens $10 | $5 WBG members per session As autumn unfolds across the Gardens, enjoy a guided educational tour with a staff horticulturist. Learn about the plants at the Gardens- their performance, strengths, and weaknesses, as well as growing tips and design insights. Dress for the weather as this program is conducted outdoors. REGISTER HERE
Find out more »
Jaw-dropping Bulbs
Saturday, October 29 • 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Leslie Botanical Classrooms $35 | $30 WBG members Mail-order catalogs and online retailers are your portal to elevating your landscape with jaw-dropping bulb perennials that are rare and bold. True lilies, ornamental onions, sky-blue camas, and others await your discovery and admiration. Each student will receive at least 10 bulbs to take home to plant this autumn. REGISTER HERE
Find out more »November 2022
Garden Storytime Hour
Wednesday, November 2 • 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. Leslie Botanical Classrooms Gather round for storytime! Children ages 3-5 and their grown-up caregivers will love this inaugural early-learning program: Gardens Storytime Hour. Two colorful stories and a nature-inspired activity help young friends build early reading, social-interactive and creative skills. This program is FREE for kids and caregivers, but registration is required. Find us at the Gardens, every other Wednesday from September through November at 10 am--rain or shine! REGISTER HERE
Find out more »
WBG Annual Meeting with Curator Sadafumi Uchiyama
Thursday, November 3, 2022 Join us for this year's Annual Meeting with special guest Sadafumi Uchiyama, Chief Curator and Director of International Japanese Garden Training Center at the Portland Japanese Garden. At 6 pm, enjoy a Japanese fusion-style dinner with tea and cookies for dessert. The presentation will begin at 6:45 pm with a Q&A to follow. Tickets: $25 for WBG Members and $35 for non-members register here Japanese Gardens on Foreign Soil: The Delicate Balance of Authenticity and Adaptation…
Find out more »
First Sunday Fun Day: Fall Season
Sunday, November 6 • 12 - 2 pm Leslie Botanical Classrooms FREE, no reservation required Ready for some free family fun? Children ages 5 - 12 and their grown-ups are invited to join us every first Sunday for nature-based learning and crafts in our beautiful gardens and classrooms. Join us rain or shine; no registration is required.
Find out more »
Blooms ‘n Brushes
Sunday, November 6 • 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. Leslie Botanical Classrooms $40 | $35 WBG members Join our instructor, Háloy Prevette, to learn how to sketch and paint an anatomically correct Fall wildflower from Kentucky. This class is built for every skill level, including those new to painting. In this relaxed mixed media class, students will use pencil, watercolor, and gouache to illustrate their 8x10'' watercolor painting of a wildflower. There will be several wildflowers to choose from. Unique approaches to creativity…
Find out more »Garden Highlights Walk & Talk
Thursday, November 10 • 5:15 - 6:15 p.m. Waterfront Botanical Gardens $10 | $5 WBG members per session As autumn unfolds across the Gardens, enjoy a guided educational tour with a staff horticulturist. Learn about the plants at the Gardens- their performance, strengths, and weaknesses, as well as growing tips and design insights. Dress for the weather as this program is conducted outdoors. REGISTER HERE
Find out more »
Debunking Recycling Myths
Thursday, November 10 • 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. Leslie Botanical Classrooms $15 | $10 WBG members Are you recycling correctly? What really happens when recycled items leave your home? Demystify the process and learn tips to reduce waste with Laura Veldman, WestRock Recycling and Diane Moon, Louisville Waste District Educator. REGISTER HERE
Find out more »
Luxurious Christmas Tree Decorating Insights
Tuesday, November 15 • 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Leslie Botanical Classrooms $40 | $35 WBG members Designer trees during the Holidays take a little bit of know-how and budgeting to obtain. Learn the insightful secrets, supplies and tips to making a tree look fuller with lights, deco-mesh, picks and ribbon in discussion and demonstration. Find out how to weigh the economics with environmental responsibility between artificial and real trees and the conversion from incandescent to LED string lights. View the…
Find out more »Garden Storytime Hour
Wednesday, November 16 • 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. Leslie Botanical Classrooms Gather round for storytime! Children ages 3-5 and their grown-up caregivers will love this inaugural early-learning program: Gardens Storytime Hour. Two colorful stories and a nature-inspired activity help young friends build early reading, social-interactive and creative skills. This program is FREE for kids and caregivers, but registration is required. Find us at the Gardens, every other Wednesday from September through November at 10 am--rain or shine! REGISTER HERE
Find out more »
Fruit, Vegetable and Floral Holiday Centerpiece
Thursday, November 17 • 5:30 - 6:45 p.m. Leslie Botanical Classrooms $50 | $45 WBG members Welcome your guests during the holiday season with a unique centerpiece. Learn how to create a Thanksgiving arrangement using fresh produce and botanicals, then swap items out to showcase a Christmas design. All materials are included in the cost of this hands-on workshop. REGISTER HERE
Find out more »
Silent Meditation Retreat
Saturday, November 19 • 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Graeser Family Education Center $30 | $22 WBG members Gratitude is the obvious theme for a retreat into silent meditation the week before Thanksgiving. Cultures have long celebrated bountiful harvests with rituals of gratitude and the spiritual dimension of homecoming. We will also acknowledge that fall is a time of “hunkering down” in the natural world: temperatures cool, plants grow dormant, animals prepare for the upcoming cold weather, storing food or…
Find out more »
Japanese Gift Wrapping
Tuesday, November 29 • 6:00 p.m. - 7:15 p.m. Leslie Botanical Classrooms $25 | $20 WBG and JASK members Furoshiki are Japanese wrapping cloths traditionally used to wrap, transport, and protect goods. Learn how to create a more personalized gift by wrapping it in a thoughtful, careful way. Students will also learn how to wrap with a single piece of paper and single piece of tape. Supplies include one furoshiki from Japan and some wrapping paper. In partnership with Japan / America…
Find out more »Garden Storytime Hour
Wednesday, November 30 • 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. Leslie Botanical Classrooms Gather round for storytime! Children ages 3-5 and their grown-up caregivers will love this inaugural early-learning program: Gardens Storytime Hour. Two colorful stories and a nature-inspired activity help young friends build early reading, social-interactive and creative skills. This program is FREE for kids and caregivers, but registration is required. Find us at the Gardens, every other Wednesday from September through November at 10 am--rain or shine! REGISTER HERE
Find out more »
Fresh Greens Holiday Swag
Wednesday, November 30 • 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. Leslie Botanical Classrooms $49 | $40 WBG members What's more festive than an elegant arrangement of evergreen boughs and berries to decorate your front door? Come learn how to create your own seasonal botanical swag in this workshop. You’ll learn about the symbolism of evergreen plants, pruning basics, the elements of botanical design, swag construction and bow making. At the end of this class you will leave with your gorgeous swag and a renewed…
Find out more »December 2022
Red Berry Holiday Vase + Candle Bowl
Saturday, December 3 • 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. Leslie Botanical Classrooms $50 | $45 WBG members Floating cranberries delight the eye in this unique and fresh arrangement of holiday greens, with sprigs of pine and winterberry in red water. A floating candle and cranberry bowl will accompany your arrangement. All supplies are provided. REGISTER HERE
Find out more »
First Sunday Fun Day: Winter in the Gardens
Sunday, December 4 • 12 - 2 pm Leslie Botanical Classrooms FREE, no reservation required Ready for some free family fun? Children ages 5 - 12 and their grown-ups are invited to join us every first Sunday for nature-based learning and crafts in our beautiful gardens and classrooms. Join us rain or shine; no registration is required.
Find out more »
Suminagashi
Tuesday, December 6 • 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. Leslie Botanical Classrooms $42 | $35 WBG members Make extra special wrapping and decorative papers with suminagashi marbling, a nearly 1000 year old practice. Participants will try it themselves at their own water baths. Everyone will walk away with new knowledge of an old artform and delightfully striped and rippled papers to wrap presents or decorate their home. REGISTER HERE
Find out more »